Please Live on with Happiness
by monekosensei
Summary: Is there happiness awaiting a love between a soldier and a florist in the midst of war?
1. Gardenia: Secret Love

Meow! ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ I can't believe that my first GakuTsumu story is a drama lol. This is inspired by Gaku's i7 Roman SSR card and Tsumugi's cuteness!

* * *

After an intense training under the heat of the raging sun, Gaku immediately headed toward the fields. How pleased he was with the mild breeze that regenerated whatever his skin needed to keep it from being sweaty and sticky. The sound of the swaying grass and leaves also swept away his fatigue.

Enjoying the company of nature, he laid his back on the ground, ready to sleep under the shade of a giant evergreen tree. It was indeed his favorite relaxation spot because nobody would interrupt his resting time with nature.

Or so he thought.

_On that summer day, the air fragrant with gardenias,  
As if I were being sucked in, I fell in love with you._

Just when he was about to drift into his afternoon slumber, something suddenly landed on his nose. He could have ignored it but its scent made him curious. When he opened his eyes and took it on his hand, he discovered a flower.

_What is a gardenia doing here?_

He gently placed it on the side and closed his eyes again. After a few seconds, another gardenia seemed to land on him on his forehead. Actually, it seemed like a gardenia kept on landing on him every second.

He didn't mind the fragrance surrounding him but he couldn't imagine himself buried under many flowers any minute by then. He grunted and positioned himself to sit. As he brushed away the gardenias from his body, he heard a tiny voice approaching his way.

To see the source, he stood up and found a blond girl running toward him. The basket she was carrying on her arm swung back and forth, making a few pieces of gardenias either buoyed up or fell on the grassy field.

"I'm sorry!" she shouted from afar.

He couldn't clearly see her face but she seemed so fragile that he thought she would trip over a small mistake on her step. And that proved him true when she was only a few steps away to have her slipper betray her.

"E-eh?" a confused voice was all she could let out while finding herself being pulled down by the gravity. It also didn't help that the wind suddenly blew hard, making all the flowers in the basket that slipped her arm afloat.

Eyes widening from the dramatic turn of events, he sprinted toward her despite fighting against the gust and the hovering flowers in his sight.

"Watch out!"

Thankfully, he was able to grasp her hands, swiftly pulling her into his arms. When the wind calmed down, the girl slowly lifted her head and looked at him.

When he finally caught a glimpse of her, he couldn't help but to be entranced by her innocent beauty. Her pink eyes, fair skin, and probably soft lips were magnificently charming.

Unknowingly, it was not only him who was captivated. The girl found herself blushing the more she stared at his handsome face and stayed close to his strong embrace. Her heart raced even more when his fingertips combed her hair to remove the flowers on her head.

The girl attempted to break the intimate silence.

"L-let me remove the f-flowers from y-you too!"

_That's not what I wanted to say…_She wanted to faint right after her failed attempt, but his chuckle encouraged the opposite.

"I'm afraid I cannot let a goddess taint her hands with my filthiness."

She tilted her head, "You're not dirty though?"

He wanted to keep the heightened mood but he knew that the scorching heat of the sun was not his friend.

"I'm nowhere compared to your gardenias."

It only sank in her mind. "Oh, the garde – my gardenias!"

She gently escaped his arms before looking around for her basket. Once seen, she hurriedly grabbed it and picked up any gardenia she found on the ground. Moved by her determination, he just also picked up any gardenia he spotted.

* * *

After several minutes, Gaku approached her. "I believe this is all I could gather."

She waved her head. "It's my fault for being clumsy. Thank you very much for your help."

He put them in the basket before he took it from her. He slid an arm around her waist and began directing her to where he was resting earlier. "Let's take a break for now."

She would resist the invitation but she observed that his face and arms turned quite reddish. As they walked to a nearby evergreen, she noticed that the most of the flowers had lost their petals. Some were not pure white anymore. In fact, the basket received a few tears and lumps.

When they were already sitting under the tree, he asked without any hesitation, "What's your name?"

"…T-takanashi Tsu-tsumugi…" How she wished she had the same bravery he possessed.

"That's a lovely name. I'm Yaotome Gaku by the way." He reached out his hand for a handshake.

Uncertain about his gesture, she questioned, "Umm, what do I do with your hand…?"

"Oops. My bad, force of habit. I forgot it's not the same here. " He withdrew his hand and cleared his throat. "Why do you have these flowers?"

"I'm a f-florist…," she shyly answered.

"Ah. It suits you." He smiled at her.

A tint of red was drawn across her face. "T-thank you…"

He gazed at the sky, distracting himself from her cuteness. "The wind was unusually strong earlier despite the summer season, wasn't it?"

"It was. Half of the flowers I need to deliver and to use for my flower arrangements has flown away…Truthfully, all of these have been damaged, even my basket…" Her voice was very crestfallen.

"If only I knew you need them, I would have kept the piles of gardenia on me earlier."

Remembering the reason why she was running toward him, she stood up and bowed her head. "I'm very sorry for the trouble I've caused you!"

"Hey, no worries!" He also stood and prompted her to sit again. "Your apology is wasted on me."

For some reasons, Tsumugi started to sound like she was about to cry. "Not only that I inconvenienced you, but you also helped me out in spite of the weather…But then, it was too late for me to realize that the flowers are not in good shape anymore..."

He patted her shoulder. "It's no big deal, really. I was just resting."

After knowing that he was trying to rest, she bowed her head again. "P-please let me repay your kindness!"

He sighed. "You're pretty stubborn, aren't you?"

His remark made her raise her head. "E-Eh! I-I'm s-sorry but still, p-please let m-me do s-something for y-you!"

"Alright. How about I help you with your work today? I'm sure you're in a rough situation with what has happened." He grinned at her, hoping it would work so she wouldn't turn down his idea.

"But you've helped me a lot already! You should ask for something for yourself…"

He laughed at her argument. She pouted at his reaction.

He looked at her straightly in the eyes. His beam at her might give her hint on the blush on his face. "I wouldn't mind spending more time with you. Being in the company of a beautiful lady is a great reward after a tiring day."

It was as if the shade under the tree was her only ally on hiding her reddening cheeks.

Tsumugi was silent for a few seconds that he took it wrongly. He scratched the back of his head and gazed at the ground. "Sorry, was it too much? I didn't mean to –"

"I-it's fine! I'm just too flattered by your words…" She was waving her hands to assure him as she flashed a modest smile. He returned the radiant smile, not minding his racing heartbeat that has been rejoicing his victorious request.

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I'll be very happy to know your comments/feedback! (◡ ‿ ◡ ✿)


	2. Anemone: Sincere

Meow! ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ I'm trying my best to match the mood of the lyrics with the context I made for Gaku and Tsumugi /~/ I hope the pace is not compromised!

* * *

After they had gathered enough gardenias on a nearby vast flowerbed and successfully delivered them to the waiting patrons, the two continued to exchange simple details about one another as they walked back to the town.

"E-eh? You've been training from dawn until lunch time then evening until midnight within the same day!?" Tsumugi gasped, almost losing her grasp on the basket Gaku tried to repair. There were still a few gardenias inside it for flower arrangements.

His two brows raised. "Well, what would you expect. That's a soldier's life."

"But isn't it too much…? Aren't you getting tired…?" Her voice was weaker as if she couldn't imagine his context of a tiring day.

He put his two hands at the back of his head and looked around the vicinity. The restaurants and tea houses were jampacked with customers who were having either their late lunch or early dinner. Most of the helpers were women. The employees in shoe, umbrella, and garment stores were occupied with their own business. Lined up along the long street were vegetable and meat vendors who were trying their best to sell their commodities to the passersby. There were also food carts of all sorts, mainly surrounded by children.

"It isn't too much if it's for the greater good. We need to be strong to defend whatever is important to everyone. Who else would do it if no one is willing to take the risk?"

A lot of questions popped in her head as regard to a glimpse of his principle. She wanted to respond but nothing could come out from her mouth. She just also scanned the busy street they were passing by.

He noticed her silence and looked at her. "Takanashi."

The manner he called her without any honorific alarmed her delicate heart, sending tints of redness across her cheeks. "Y-yes?"

Stopping on his tracks, he pointed a two-story wooden house with his chin. "I believe that is where you're supposed to work, right?"

She stopped walking and faced at the direction where a house covered with a variety of flowers and vines could be seen.

Finding an excuse to be with him for a little longer, she tried to tease him. "How could you say? Doesn't mean it has flowers, it's a flower shop."

Not buying her crack, he simply simpered. "Don't underestimate a soldier's memory. It's the only one in this town."

She sighed, both at the thought of her resigned teasing and the fact that the five hours she spent with him felt so comforting. Flashing him a smile, she strove to sound cheerful.

"Yaotome-san, thank you very much for today! I enjoyed a lot!"

But the lonely look in her eyes reached his senses. "The smaller the town, the more surprises it has."

She bowed at him. "I hope I'm able to repay your kindness."

"Y-you know, I'm still not used with the f-formality…," he sounded embarrassed.

She giggled. A manly soldier's quivering voice was a memory to keep.

"Please do your best on your training while still watching out for your health."

He flexed his muscle to show off. "Of course. My vitality right now is a hundred times more than it was earlier."

With a final amusement before she turned her back, he watched her sauntered and went inside the floral shop.

* * *

"Welcome back!" A man resembling the colors of Tsumugi's hair and eyes greeted. From the entrance door, he could be seen cutting flower stems on a small desk. There were also scissors, loppers, hand pruners, and other different shearing tools surrounding him on the floor he was sitting on.

"Ah, I'm back, Father!" She was bursting with the same enthusiasm. She placed the basket on the small desk and sat across him.

"Father, I told you that you shouldn't put your cutting materials on the floor…," she reminded as she reached for the tools and put them on the side of the desk.

"It's easier to grab them that way," he calmly replied. "Anyway, you spent an awful time for today's work. Did something happen?"

Bumping her head on the desk, she groaned. "It was hilarious! Just when I was on my way back to the town, the wind blew so hard! I'm just glad that I could pull it off with someone's help…"

Out of the blue, Otoharu snapped a stem with his own fingers and his aura oozed menace.

"Tsumugi, who is this someone?"

The tone of his voice made her raise her head and answer honestly.

"I-it's a person who was resting on the fields where the flowers were carried away…He just helped me gather again so I could get the deliveries on time…"

"A 'he' you say," he emphasized. She was starting to get nervous. Knowing that her father was extremely unyielding when it comes to interactions with men, she regretted being too detailed with her statement.

As if he got the impression of her anxiety, he gave her a gentle smile and went back to his floral commission.

"As long as it's not a soldier, all is fine, Tsumugi!"

Unknown to him, the merriness he exuded was the opposite of her thoughts about his stern opinion to soldiers.

* * *

A week has passed since Tsumugi spared no effort to wake up earlier than usual. She thought that she could bump against the silver-haired soldier who might be taking the same path of the town on his way to the barracks. Or maybe, he could be patrolling just like the town watchers scattered around the area. However, her efforts were only rewarded by finishing her deliveries and flower arrangements ahead of the assigned deadlines.

She would have visited the fields where they first met, but it was at the southern exit of the town, whereas she lived at the northern part. The only reason why she was there was because the gardenias only grew on the southern flowerbed.

Heading out to the center of the town, she decided to meander for a while. The sun was yet to rise; the sky was majestically painted with hues of light orange, pale blue, and fading violet. It was a very awe-inspiring panorama she wished the person in her mind was also witnessing.

"What a pretty sky…"

"Not as beautiful as you," a low tone came from her behind.

That prompted her to turn around and as if the sky heard her silent wish, a waving Gaku was already on the spot.

The way she grinned resembled the radiance from the morning sunshine that was gradually setting up itself. "Yaotome-san!"

She sprinted toward him and as if a dejavu…

"E-eh?" a confused voice was all she could let out while finding herself being pulled down by the gravity once more. He made a dash for it and caught her just in time.

"H-hey, be careful!" Although panicking, his voice was evident of tender concern.

She apologized quickly. "S-sorry! I guess I was too excited…"

He released his grip on her shoulder. "I cannot have you injured…just when I could finally see you." His hand found its way to cover his blushing face.

Observing that his ears were kinda turning red, she thought that there was nothing wrong in being true as well.

"Y-you know! I've been w-waking up earlier than our neighbor's c-chicken!"

_Tsumugi, what was that!?_ She internally screamed at herself. Nobody in the world would comprehend what she just stated.

Following how her weird statement destroyed the mood, he could only blurt out a flat surprise. "Huh?"

He wanted to punch himself. _What the heck, Gaku! Wake up your joke cells!_

"Y-Yaotome-s-san! I c-can't embarrass m-myself more than I d-did now!" Realizing the implication, she just buried her face on her palms. He felt like he needed another heart to take on her cuteness.

"Relax. I swear, I'm not gonna make fun of you."

Feeling assured, she finally allowed her face to be seen.

And he finally brimmed with smile. "There we go. Nothing beats a good morning like this."

"Yaotome-san!" She was about to cover her face again when he grabbed one of her hands.

"But everything aside, I'm really happy to see you."

His sincerity came knocking on her chastity, which did the same in return.

"Same here…"

Not wanting to bear an awkward atmosphere again, he asked her, "Ah. Have you eaten breakfast?"

She shook her head. "I felt like walking around first. I really like the colors of the sky right now."

"Then, why don't we take a walk together? Let's eat breakfast on our way later too."

"I would love to! But, don't you have morning drills? I don't want to inconvenience you again…"

Taking advantage of holding her hand, he squeezed it lightly. "I have the day off today. Actually, I was on my way to your shop, but I realized it's way too early for shops to open. Unless, you serve teas with flower or herb extracts for a morning tea."

Tsumugi was not sure whether her heart was fully aware of his big hand or his straightforwardness.

"W-why is that? And no, we don't offer teas," she ended it with a small laugh.

"I guess, a tiring week longs for a long company of an energetic lady." He tried his best to construct it candidly.

"I just actually want to see you." He didn't want to sound flirting, but he didn't want to stop firing the signals to the girl who he has taken a big interest in.

Basing on the direct look in his eyes and the tight grip of his hand, she didn't have a doubt with his genuineness.

"I…"

Feeling like he was too pushy, he removed his hand from hers and patted her head gaily. "You don't have to feel sorry for this guy. I'm ready to have rejection as my break–"

"I-I-I don't have anything to do t-today!" She quickly stammered to get rid of his despaired assumption.

His aura was immediately replaced with a gushing optimism.

"Ha, great! Let's get going now!"

In the end, Tsumugi waking up earlier than their neighbor's chicken was all worth it.

_As we walked down the street filled with all the season's colors together, _

_Our hands touched, and for a brief moment, we knew each other's warmth._

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I'll be very happy to know your comments/feedback! (◡ ‿ ◡ ✿)


	3. White Rose: Innocence, Silence, Devotion

Meow! ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ I will take the JLPT5 this December so my updates got delayed OTL…I also changed the rating because the thought of killing any of my fave characters just crushes *Nagi's accent* my kokoro (yes, the latter story flow was kinda revised but that's still far from now haha…T_T) ANYWAY, I intend to make up with all of you with my long updates and new stories! :D

* * *

It has been a few months since Tsumugi pledged to all the morning persons that she would be earlier than any chicken that will announce that a new day has begun. For her, the moment her eyes open at the sight of the crack of dawn means that she would be getting to know more about the one who has been making her heart thump with delightful tunes. During weekends when they couldn't meet, she would ask him to bring home some bottles of flower teas and aromas she made herself that could help him recover from the fatigue of a week-long strenuous physical drills.

_"I should be buying these from you." Gaku insisted as he checked out each scented container and lidded carafe of flower extract products. But Tsumugi was also stubborn._

_"I am just experimenting them so they are not for sale."_

_"So you've been experimenting for almost a month. Do I get a commission for being your product tester?"_

_"N-n-never!"_

_Her squeal of rejection echoed throughout the tea house. Everyone must have thought that such a beautiful lass had all the rights to dump a pale vampire-looking man. After all, he was not in his best shape because of the loaded activities that transformed his eyelids into red. With the accumulated remorse within him, he patted his chest with a heavy rhythm._

_"…You're really incredible. Just a few seconds ago, you're adorable. Now, you're breaking my heart."_

_"Because I only make these for Yaotome-san to use…"_

_The nerves from his ears to his right brain were not yet prepared. The word "only" was there, right? But she didn't stop shaking his nervous system._

_"D-did that mend your heart now…?"_

_"I'll pay you a thousand-fold for this heart attack."_

Her efforts were also paralleled by Gaku through his own ways. Not only that the soldier would take a detour on his way to the training grounds, but he would also give her different kinds of flower each day, bragging his growing knowledge of the language of flowers. When he was on duty to patrol, he would nag his superiors to locate him at the vicinity of the flower shop, or anywhere in the north as long as it was not the southern part. For him, quickly calling it a night didn't mean that his body was preparing for a new set of military activities. His eyes just wanted to restore their maximum capabilities to look at the florist's finest details that only he could describe.

_"You changed your hairstyle."_

_"Ah! You noticed…My hair would get curly if I always tie it so…"_

_"Summer's over anyway. It really suits you."_

_"And I think it will suit you more with this."_

_Gaku halted in front of her and took out a pink flower hairpin from his hakama._

_"You shouldn't have bothered yourself!"_

_"Don't worry, it didn't affect my financial treasury haha."_

_He handed over the hairpin. She realized that it was a gardenia flower with tiny pink glittering stones around the petals._

_"I'll wear this for sure!"_

_"It's fine if you cannot wear it. Just keep it like you'd keep me in your heart."_

_Tsumugi thought she was used with his sweet remarks. But this man never failed to get better._

Throughout their daily rendezvous, both of them were engraving a long list of various topics inside their heads as if a day is equivalent to a page of a teenager's slum book. More often than not, their conversations would be dragged into either a weird flow of tangled thoughts or a dead silence from unresponsive thinking cells.

_"Takanashi, what's your favorite food?"_

_"Anything that is not too spicy. How about Yaotome-san? Is it soba?"_

_"I should be answering that."_

_"But it's way too obvious."_

_"Then why ask?"_

_"I'm just confirming haha…"_

_"Silly. Come on, let's dig in before the food gets cold. This resto claims to have the best soba in the region and I'm here to make my verdict."_

_"Umm…Yaotome-san, if it isn't rude of me, just…just how many bowls of soba can you eat?"_

_Gaku almost gagged all the noodles inside his mouth. Was it too ungentlemanly to express your love to your favorite food?_

_"Up to the point that I can make a sobaway straight to your heart."_

_"Soba…way…sob…way…subway..." Tsumugi's face seemed to catch the steams from the grilled pans and hot soups on their table. Even the corniest last-minute pun victimized her._

Some were awkward stories like how his father shipped him out of the country for several years, only to make him also a servant of the government.

_"Oh! So that explains why when we first met, you tried to shake hands!"_

_"Yeah. My first year here's the worst though. I made friends with ridiculous kids. One who's very glamorous, just don't mind his way of speaking. The other one is…argh, he's just a lonely boy. The most hilarious is, people thought I was a Western vampire."_

_"Even your friends?"_

_"Even my old man who even asked my mother if she was of a vampire descent."_

_Tsumugi modestly laughed with the thought of him dressed in a black coat, possessing piercing eyes, fangs, and nails, and other descriptions that she has read from fantasy books from the imported reading materials from the Occident._

_"…I know what's inside your head."_

_"Yes, yes. A very exotic…haha!" Her laughter was all over the place. It was contagious enough that the white roses on her paper bags seemed to be containing the brightness from her._

_"I'll kiss you if you don't stop, Takanashi."_

Or how she would watch him curse himself after not keeping himself from cursing out loud in front of her.

_"Ah! Yaotome-san! Here!" Tsumugi raised her hand which held the fire lamp. The soldier was still in his training outfit: plain white shirt, black pants, and brown boots._

_"Sorry, I didn't make you wait for too long, did I? Damn officers extending the time for that hell of a drill. Even the sun got tired of it, it's now hiding."_

_"Yaotome-san–"_

_"It's almost dinner time. Your father would search for you if you're not home after 23 minutes. Seriously, the drills were just a crap, only because my father was watching them."_

_"Yaoto–"_

_"Oh my god. I smell sweat. I should have taken a quick shower and changed clothes. I can understand if you'll make some distance while we walk."_

_"Yao–"_

_"Don't worry, Takanashi. I'll make those freaking officers pay for having you breathe such a disgraceful smell."_

_"…"_

_"Oh shit. Was I cursing too much?"_

Some were also sensitive points that would take a while to be discussed like how she couldn't let him visit her at their home. Or, why did she keep on hearing from the town soldiers that he was being called as the "Most Desirable and Huggable Man"?

_Anxiously waiting for the day we could meet again_

Nevertheless, both couldn't help to worry as well because somewhere along the lines of their stories and questions were the unspoken reasons why they were trying to keep the walls while not smashing the other. They know that a flawless relationship is nothing but a mere illusion.

Sadly, theirs is not even a relationship.

Yes, he would always hold her hand.

Yes, she would return the grasp.

Yes, he would sneak out at any time of the training just to walk her home.

Yes, she would allow him to make his way to her heart.

Yes, they know they are in love.

But there were many buts.

For now, it was just a very close association that has been screaming out to be elevated into a status in which they would not have to seal the endless whys behind their cautious facades. One word is a key to open a door; a line is a weighing scale on how wide the door should be opened.

But Gaku, having been raised overseas, was not an ordinary Japanese who would be reserved forever. And Tsumugi, as unblemished in purity as ever, would always explode the wildest utterances out of the blue.

One way or another, someone has to weigh whatever key was needed to finally enter the enclosed space.

* * *

I thought it was better to separate this one from the next scenario because…up next is a trial of love from a protective father! O_O Meanwhile, I'll be very happy to know your comments/feedback! (◡ ‿ ◡ ✿)


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